Flick is drooling: the hot notes of the Barça-Alavés

BarcelonaRestorative thrashing by Barça against Alavés in the League. The Blaugrana recovered from the defeats against PSG and Madrid with a tennis score (6-1). Below, some hot takes.

Flick is drooling. Alavés' resistance melted away with the combustion of the Fermín-Raphinha duo. When they smell blood, they behave like two sharks in a frenzy. That is how the German coach likes it. Fixed in the attacking midfield spot due to Olmo's injury, the Andalusian ended the first half with two assists and a goal. He had one of those nights of constant centrifugation amidst rivals incapable of containing so much energy. The Brazilian did not fall short either, author of (another) brace without breaking a sweat. Converted into a penalty-box predator, he has 15 goals, 15, in the League in just 11 matchdays. These are Golden Boot numbers after a summer of fuss surrounding Julián Álvarez. Football, eh.

Another one joins the cause. The absences and defeats from last week led Flick to try a couple of changes in defense. The most striking was the entry of Brian Fariñas, another central midfielder converted into a right-back (like Xavi Espart). The man from Castellón has earned a spot on the first team without making noise after being on the verge of ending up first in Saudi Arabia and then at Girona. He wears a veteran's number (4) and just had his first official minutes against Alavés. He dared to pepper a placid debut with interesting details. Finally, he is known for more than just going to training aboard a beat-up Toyota. La Masia, always La Masia.

Lamine Yamal's face. A friend of Fariñas is Lamine Yamal, who contributed to the goal fest with a strike from the edge of the box and a delicate chip authorized by VAR. Beyond this double joy, he completed another match generous in inaccuracies. Sometimes, Lamine Yamal obsesses over personal flair and parks the collective factor, but he is so outrageously good that the balance almost always tips in his favor. And even though he often has unnecessary gestures and (lately) complaints to referees, when Flick substituted him with the score at 5-0, he left the match without pulling faces. Relax, Lamine: you won't lose your aura for a few minutes of rest.

Bad news for Barça. It will be one of the topics that will accompany us this season. Since Laporta –just like Bartomeu did– has surrendered to ticketing to save the furniture in the economic section, going to the Camp Nou if you are not a blue and garnet member has become a luxury only within reach of the privileged pocket of occasional tourism. The prices for the classic hit the ceiling and the trend was adjusted, not corrected, in a home-grown match, with the aggravating factor of an empty cheering section. The result of all this was a stadium without chants and with more than 8,000 vacant seats when precisely what is needed is to fill them to fill the coffers. Perhaps the policy should be reviewed.